


Special Delivery

by inatrice



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Delivery Boy AU, Delivery Boy Keith, Discussing traumatic events, Ex-military Shiro, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Military Towns, Panic Attacks, Pining Shiro (Voltron), Poor Coping Mechanisms and How Friends Can Help The Fic, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-02-27 17:51:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13253490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inatrice/pseuds/inatrice
Summary: After a year back in the closest thing he had to a hometown, Takashi Shirogane finally feels human enough to start venturing outside of his house again. Mostly.One night, in an act of hungry desperation, he uses an app to order food and soon his take out habit turns into an excuse to see Keith multiple times a week. The two start gaining a friendship and maybe something else, too.Maybe it was because he hadn't seen anything but the inside of his walls for a year, or maybe it was just because he was delivering food, but the second Shiro opened his door to Keith with his hand up about to knock, Shiro was sure the prettiest guy in the whole state stood in front of him at that very moment.





	Special Delivery

**Author's Note:**

> HOLY SHIT IT'S FINALLY DONE. This beast was supposed to be a cute little one shot with some dumb scenes of Shiro and Keith being dumb pining boys. And this is what we got my friends. A silly yet much more serious fic than I intended. BUT I had literally so much fun writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much. Let Shiro Cry 2k18.
> 
> Also if anyone is Air Force and notices mistakes, please let me know! I'm much more familiar with Army things. Thank you!

It's no secret that too much time spent by yourself cooped up in a house can be detrimental to your mental health. You overthink, lose your social graces; the possibilities of getting stuck in your own head are high, and well, no one really wants that. In the past, for Takashi Shirogane, too much time doing nothing usually meant getting a little stir crazy. Back then, he could hit up some of his friends to get together, call someone from his flight team, or go to the gym and he would be fine. 

But then an op went wrong and his fighter jet went down in hostile territory. He lost his arm and spending too much time inside and alone became the norm. The military had paid for the surgeries and the experimental high tech prosthetic and the PT and the slew of therapists and psychiatrists, but the military couldn't pay for genuine human interaction. Not for lack of trying of course. One of the coordinators for the local USO chapter kept tabs on him after he came home. Allura was kind and always knew the right thing to say but there was still a wall of professionalism there like a smile that never quite reached the eyes. After a year of seeing nothing but the inside of his walls, Allura was finally able to convince Shiro to get a job at the local Safeway. It wasn't anything strenuous, just bagging groceries for little old ladies who complimented his wide shoulders as he brought their things to their cars, and it was only a few hours a week. But Allura had insisted he needed to get out of the house.

Shiro would never tell her he did it simply to appease her. It wasn't like he needed the money. Settlements from the military meant he was going to be well off for a while. He didn't live frivolously and since he never went out he never had to pay for drinks or cover fees. 

He did have a nasty Chinese takeout habit, however. It was the only treat he allowed himself. Initially it was because he couldn't work up the energy to cook, but recently he’d decided that he just deserved it. It was what his therapist called a step in the right direction.

Until the website for his favorite restaurant, Jade Garden, went down. And their lines were busy when he tried to call; and again when he tried 45 minutes later.

With a resigned sigh, Shiro looked down at his phone. He'd heard about an app that turned any restaurant into a place with delivery and with a roll of his eyes he went to his app store. He tried to tell himself it wasn't a betrayal. He'd come back to his favorite when they were available. This was a temporary change. He was  _ hungry _ and there was another Chinese place in town.

Once he'd gotten the app, aptly named OrderUp, downloaded and signed up, he scrolled through the restaurant options. There were more here than he'd heard of since he’d been deployed. The military town of Garrison sat on the government regulated border of Edwards Air Force Base. It wasn't big; it was a nice comfortable size. Small enough, but not so crowded that everyone was always in each other's business. He really had been off the map for a whole year.

Finally he found his alternative, King’s, and placed his order. He frowned at the higher delivery fee, but if it got him food soon he could deal with it. The app used what they thought was cool lingo, but it was more endearing than embarrassing if he was being honest with himself, and at the end there was an option to track his order. With a tilt of his head, Shiro tapped the okay. 

The app informed him that the restaurant had received his order and that they would begin searching for a driver in 12 minutes.

Shiro frowned again at the seemingly odd specificities and turned his TV back on while he waited. 12 minutes later, his phone dinged, telling him that someone named Keith was his driver. Keith was heading to the restaurant now. There were three bubbles on the map, one to indicate Shiro's house, one to indicate the restaurant, and one that was moving and was designated by a red V design. That was Keith. Shiro smiled down at his screen for the first time that night and found himself watching the little bubble as it drove through the streets. Keith made it to the restaurant and the app informed him that his food wasn't ready yet, so Shiro turned on the front porch light and tried to concentrate on his episode of Ghost Adventures.

Finally, the app dinged to let him know that Keith was headed his way with the food. Another smile creeped its way up onto Shiro's lips as he watched Keith's bubble twist and turn on the map. 

The app even told him when Keith was pulling up to his house and Shiro got up from his couch to greet him at the door.

Maybe it was because he hadn't seen anything but the inside of his walls for a year, or maybe it was just because he was delivering food, but the second Shiro opened his door to Keith with his hand up about to knock, Shiro was sure the prettiest guy in the whole state stood in front of him at that very moment. Long black hair stuck out from underneath a backwards snapback. He had deep, dark eyes that almost sparkled in the porch light, a loose red hoodie, red high top vans, and a black t-shirt and jeans combo that left barely anything to the imagination. Shiro could feel a blush creeping up on his cheeks.

"Oh, hey." Keith said, throwing Shiro an awkward smile. "Guess you pay attention to the notifications." He held out the plastic bag that had Shiro's order in it. "Here you go. Have a good night, man."

Shiro took the bag and tried to force words out of his mouth. Keith was already turning to go back to his car. "W-wait. Do I need to sign anything?"

"Nope, you're all good." Keith called over his shoulder.

"What about a tip?" Shiro asked, not sure what exactly he was trying to accomplish but he didn't want Keith to leave so soon. Didn't deliveries usually take at least a minute? This was only like 3 seconds.

Keith paused and pulled out his phone. He turned back and gave Shiro a smile while he shook his phone side to side. "Nah, you tipped through the app. First time user?"

"Uh, yeah." Shiro said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Am I that obvious?"

"Yeah." Keith told him. At least he looked like he was trying not to laugh. That was good, right? "Have a nice night, dude."

"You, too!" Shiro called after him before quickly shutting the door and thudding his head against it.

Maybe he  _ should _ get out more.

* * *

Three days later, Shiro stared down at his phone, OrderUp app open. He didn't  _ need _ to order take out, he'd brought some groceries home with him from work that day. But the thought of getting Keith as his driver again was tempting. He shuffled around the house a bit, tidying things as he tried to convince himself that he just didn't want to cook tonight. And that was the sole reason he wanted to order out. And that was  _ fine _ . 

An hour and a half later his phone dinged. The app was letting him know that Keith had accepted being his delivery driver. 

Shiro felt a happy jolt flit through his stomach, which he promptly ignored to focus back on whatever the Travel Channel was claiming to be reality TV. He was just happy the app was working. 

He ended up watching the Keith bubble until it reached his house bubble on the map. 

Shiro didn't open the door until Keith knocked this time. 

"Hey," Keith greeted with a smile. He was just as pretty as last time, snapback still sitting backwards on his head. "Here's your food, man."

"Thanks," Shiro said. Much more confidently this time. He took the bag from Keith. King’s again.

"Have a good night." Keith said with a little wave before turning to leave.

"You, too." Shiro told him and shut the door.

He shut off the porch light and looked into an imaginary camera off to his left before muttering, "Nice."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Shiro ordered delivery way, way too often. Unfortunately for him, there were at least 5 OrderUp drivers in Garrison, so he didn't get Keith as much as he wanted. The first time a different driver accepted his delivery he had a sudden urge to cancel the entire order. But then he realized that he'd already paid and that the other delivery drivers needed an income too. He was a bit upset that the larger tip didn't end up going to Keith, but it just drove him to order through the app another time.

Shiro's conversation skills improved as well. Sometimes he was able to keep Keith for a full thirty seconds instead of just the usual two. There was a part of him that always wanted to push the limit, one night he was even tempted to invite Keith in for a drink, but he knew Keith needed to work and ignored the orders coming from below his belt. 

Finally, after over a month of too much take out, there seemed to be a shift in their relationship. Shiro made the mistake of ordering wings at 5:30 PM on a Friday just before the first football game of the season was scheduled to start on the local news station. The timer for tracking on the app was 18 minutes instead of the normal 12 and Shiro felt his gut drop. He was an idiot. At least he'd put in a ridiculous amount for the tip. Even if he didn't get Keith, whoever was delivering food tonight deserved it.

But his phone dinged 18 minutes later and he saw the familiar red V bubble moving through the streets of Garrison. He didn't do a little happy jump and no one could prove that he did.

Ten minutes after Keith arrived at the restaurant his phone went off again, but this time it was his text tone and not the default app tone. Frowning, Shiro checked his messaging app and saw a thread started by a number that wasn't in his contacts.

> **Unknown** : Hey, this is Keith with OrderUp! There is a large volume of deliveries tonight, but rest assured your food will be on its way in no time! :)

Shiro stared down at his phone for a full 90 seconds as he processed the fact that Keith had his phone number. His actual and real phone number. And now he had Keith's. He debated on whether or not he should respond. It would be polite and maybe it would take some pressure off of Keith's night if he said don't worry about it. Keith had taken the time to text him it was reasonable for him to respond, wasn't it? But what if Keith sent them out to everyone as a warning and didn't even expect a response? Maybe a response would help him stand out? Tapping his chin, Shiro typed out a quick response. He hit send before he threw his phone onto the couch and walked to the kitchen to make himself a drink.

> **Shiro** : Thanks for the heads up! No worries! :)

Almost 30 minutes later, Keith was at his door looking exhausted. His snapback was skewed on the top of his head. "Hey, man, here's your food. Sorry it's late."

"Thanks, Keith." Shiro said as he took the still warm bag from the other man's hands. 

Keith paused at the door, frowning at the brown welcome mat outside of Shiro's home. "Did you mean to tip $20?" He asked, finally looking up and into Shiro's face.

Shiro nodded, raising one of his shoulders. "Yeah." Keith looked like he was about to question him, or maybe even protest, but Shiro reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. You're busy as hell tonight anyway, you deserve it."

Keith stared at him for a few seconds before he opened his mouth again. "Thanks, Shiro." He looked like he wanted to say more but instead took a step back towards his car. "Have a good night, dude."

"You, too!" Shiro called as he turned. "Don't work too hard." He laughed when Keith simply waved over his shoulder. Shiro found himself smiling as he closed his front door and turned off the porch light.

* * *

A few days later, Shiro was in the breakroom at the Safeway still staring at the message Keith had sent him the other night.

"Matt, he sent me a  _ smiley face _ , though."

Across the room, Matt gave an almighty groan. He was the only one at the store that worked the same hours Shiro did that was even near his age. And even though he was 3 years Shiro's junior, he was the shift manager and therefore his superior. Shiro didn't mind, he was only here because it made Allura happy. But it was still nice to have someone that wasn't over the age of 45 to talk to about Keith.

"Shiro, that legit just sounds like an automated text that the app tells him to send when he's over booked." Matt told him, giving him the most pointed look in history.

"Yeah, but there's a smiley face." Shiro reminded him. Didn't he realize the significance of a simple colon and closing parenthesis?

Matt shoved his fingers through his unruly waves. "Oh my God, I can't deal with this today."

Shiro frowned and finally put his phone back in his pocket. "Class run long last night?"

"Yeah," Matt answered, sipping at his can of Red Bull. "We were supposed to be tracking a group of asteroids but one of my partners messed up the formula we were using to find the trajectory. We almost missed them with the telescope entirely."

"Sounds rough." Shiro tried to console him.

Matt huffed out a laugh. "Not as rough as having a crush on a fucking delivery boy."

"I'm quitting." Shiro said, deadpan. "I'm quitting right now. Look I'm taking off the apron."

"Don't you dare," Matt threatened with a smile. "You're the reason foot traffic takes such a significant spike on Tuesday mornings."

"Fine," Shiro sniffed, standing up from the table. "Only use me for my body."

"That's right. Get back out there and make me proud, beefcake."  Matt said, managing to dodge the breakroom popcorn that Shiro threw at him.

His shift went smoothly. Of course, the lane he was bagging at always had a line. He only had about an hour left when the woman he was bagging for requested to have him take the bags to her car. He tried not to sigh and put on a smile for her as he took the four plastic bags in his hands. 

"Hey, Shiro." A voice came from near the till.

Shiro looked up and felt a blush already starting to form on his cheeks. "Oh, hey Keith." He stopped walking towards the door, not even noticing the woman pausing a few paces ahead of him. Keith wasn't wearing the snapback, but he had the Vans on. "I…I didn't know you shopped here."

Keith snorted. "This is one of two stores that isn't Walmart in Garrison. This one just happens to be closest to my apartment." He turned and stuck his card into the machine to pay. "I didn't know you  _ left _ your house."

Shiro shrugged and looked at the floor sheepishly. "It took some convincing but I can make the effort once in a while."

Keith threw him an amused smile and glanced over at the woman Shiro was supposed to be helping out. "I think you've got a guest, Shiro."

He gave a little start and looked back over to the woman. "I'm so sorry, ma'am."

The woman gave him a knowing smile and took her bags from his hands. "Don't worry about it." She said, patting his arm. "I think he might need more help with his groceries than I do, anyway."

Shiro's cheeks went from pink to beet red. Was he really that obvious? He looked over at Keith's single bag of an eight pack of Rockstars which Keith held out to him with a shit-eating grin. "Right." He took Keith's bag and let him lead out the front exit.

"Sorry I made that awkward," Shiro apologized once they made it past the sliding doors.

"No, don't worry. It was hilarious." Keith told him as he grabbed his keys from the clip on the belt loop of his jeans. "I might have to come back at the same time next week if it's gonna be this entertaining."

Shiro rolled his eyes. "See how well I tip next time, then."

"Oh, we're playing dirty?" Keith asked, stopping outside the driver's side door of his car.

"We're playing dirty." Shiro assured him, holding out the plastic bag. "Here's your groceries,  _ dude _ ."

Keith looked like he was trying not to laugh as he took the bag from him. "I'll see you soon, I'm sure." He said as he opened the door. "I'm driving on Thursday night this week."

"Okay," Shiro said as the other man closed his door. Keith waved at him through the window and pulled out of the parking spot before driving off.

When Shiro grinned at Matt as he came back into the store, he only received a look of pure agony in return.

* * *

When he ordered food on Thursday, he received a text a minute before his phone notified him that Keith was leaving the restaurant with his food.

> **Unknown** : Food's coming your way :)

Shiro resisted the urge to leap up off of his couch and punch the air, and instead politely responded, making sure to add a smiley face at the end of his message too.

With shaking fingers, he added Keith's number to his contacts.

* * *

Another few weeks passed and the two of them almost fell into a routine. Shiro usually ordered two times a week, three if he was feeling either particularly needy or if he didn't have the energy to cook. He still didn't get Keith 100% of the time, but it was enough for him. 

Finally, on a Thursday, Shiro found himself feeling braver than normal. He began his normal workout in the home gym that he'd built, and halfway through his run on the treadmill, put in an order for King’s. If he was going to do this he might as well go back to the basics. 

Hardly minutes later, his phone rang. His first thought was that Keith was moving from texting him to calling him, but he quickly realized the app hadn't even started tracking the order yet. Shiro frowned and picked up phone to answer.

"Hello?"

"Shiro!" Allura's voice sounded through the speaker, chipper as always. "I- oh did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, no." He assured her around his panting, putting his feet on the sides of the belt for the phone call. "Just working out. What's up?"

"Well, I'm going to have to stop you. There's a reception tonight for a platoon that's just come back from tour. I've already told them you're coming." Her tone was meant to sound apologetic, but Shiro wasn't fooled. He just smiled to himself, knowing Allura was only looking out for him; she still worried at the fact that he spent 90% of his time cooped up in his house. He hadn't told her about Keith yet, only because he knew she'd try to intervene. That was something he wanted to do on his own.

Shiro took a deep breath. "When does it start?"

"Half an hour." Allura told him, voice back to its normal energy. "It's at the country club on the west end of town. They're serving dinner and it's an open bar for vets, so you'll be well taken care of."

Shiro couldn't help but smile. "All right, I'll be there. Thanks, Allura."

"See you soon, Shiro!" She trilled and hung up. 

Shiro laughed to himself and turned off his treadmill just in time to hear his phone notify him that Keith had accepted his delivery. Shiro's eyes slammed closed and he swore under his breath. He opened up the app to see if there was a cancel order button anywhere but to no avail. He thought about just texting Keith to treat himself but he didn't know if that would violate some user agreement with the delivery service. 

His phone dinged to tell him that Keith was on the way with his food and 30 seconds later he got a text with a smiley face. Shiro sucked in a long breath through his teeth before he hurried to the bathroom to take the fastest shower of his life.

As luck would have it, Shiro's doorbell rang just as he was running his towel over his hair. This time he yelled his expletive. He managed to throw on his fresh pair of boxers without tripping over himself and kept his towel around his shoulders. For modesty's sake. He made it to the door just as Keith was knocking again and threw it open with an exhausted sigh. Their gazes met just before Keith's eyes trailed down his body and his mouth fell open.

"Dude." Keith said. Shiro hoped he wasn't imagining the pink tinting the other man's cheeks. "You knew I was coming. You read my text. I have read receipts on!"

Shiro looked up to the ceiling. "I am. So sorry. Allura, the USO chapter leader, called to tell me she already has me reserved for this reception tonight. And I was…" He trailed off knowing exactly how this was going to sound. "I was working out…before that."

"So you were going to answer the door for  _ me _ post-workout?" Keith shifted his weight to one foot and crossed his arms over his chest. Shiro couldn't tell if the grimace on his face was from disgust or if he was really trying  _ that hard _ not to laugh at him. "Was that gonna be shirtless too?" 

Shiro ran his non-prosthetic hand over his face and felt his cheeks burning. "I was gonna wear a tank top." He muttered into his hand. 

To his great relief, Keith laughed. A beautiful, full bodied laugh and Shiro thought he'd kill a man to hear it again. "Isn't there going to be food at the reception tonight? What are you gonna do with your lo mein?" 

Shiro shrugged. "Lunch for tomorrow. I don't know." 

"Oh, so I won't see you tomorrow, then?" Keith teased, narrowing his eyes.

The blush on Shiro's cheeks only deepened. "I mean. Maybe. I can order something if you. I mean. I-" 

His sputtering stopped when Keith laughed again, no murder necessary. "Dude, it's fine. You probably shouldn't be spending this much money or eating this much salt anyway." 

Shiro shrugged again, and feeling like there was nothing left to lose at this point added, "it's worth it 'cause the driver is cute." 

Keith met his gaze evenly, jaw working like he wanted to say something. Shiro didn't back down, didn't look away. He knew what he said and he meant it. But then Keith's phone went off and he blinked first, conceding defeat. "Another delivery." He said, handing Shiro the bag. He hesitated just before he started to turn away. "Hey uh, there's a picnic on base in two weeks. Are you gonna be there?" 

"I…you're gonna be there?" Shiro asked.

"My uncle is a Captain." Keith told him. "Everyone in Garrison is military, Shiro, you know that." He shook his head lightly and narrowed his eyes. 

"Oh. Yeah." Shiro said dumbly. He went to high school here. He did know that. "Yeah, I'll be there." 

"Cool." Keith nodded and turned to go. "I'll see you there. Bye."

Shiro raised his hand at him in a weak wave and watched him go. As strong as the urge was to wistfully watch Keith drive away like he was in a rom com, the thought of his neighbors seeing him in his boxers had him retreating. He threw his food into the fridge and went back to his room to get ready for the reception.

* * *

The picnic was on a Saturday. It ended up being one of the first nice days of spring. Shiro thought about wearing his typical black attire, but settled for some dark jeans and only a black hoodie instead. He was surprised he hadn't gotten a call from Allura yet that morning, but she'd been texting him about the picnic all week. She had learned that persistence was key with him.

Even though it was an open event, Shiro still meticulously planned when he would show up. It started at 1 and went until 6. He knew Allura and her uncle, Coran, would be there the whole time since they helped plan it. He didn't know when Keith would be there, but if his uncle was a Captain, he would probably be there most of the time. If he showed up at 2, that was still early enough to be decent and left enough time to hang out if he did end up being comfortable. But it was still a middle ground enough time to leave early if it didn't work out. He could come up with some excuse. Like he had at every gathering Allura had dragged him to.

At least he had a reason to actually want to go this time. 

Shiro drove up to the base just before 2, handing his ID to the guard at the gate before driving through to the residential area near the commanding officers' housing. The small park there was nice. There was a small jungle gym for the kids and picnic tables where he could already see Allura hurrying about, her white hair trailing behind her as she tried to accommodate everyone at once. A quick once over of the crowd that had already gathered didn't reveal any red Vans or snapbacks, but Shiro had told people he'd show up. So he took a deep breath, turned off his engine, and got out of his car. 

There were a few kids running around playing tag, but it was mostly adults sitting at the picnic tables talking amongst themselves and eating the burgers Coran was grilling. He saw cans of beer and wine coolers next to the plates and felt himself relax a bit. It was easier to socialize with a drink in his hand and this meant that most formalities would be forgone. No saluting needed. He smiled and waved at the few people who called out his name; people he grew up knowing, people his COs knew. 

"Shiro!" Allura chirped once she spotted him. She grabbed one of the loaded plates off of the table she was manning and pushed it into his hands. "I'm so glad you're here! I thought you decided against it."

"I said I'd be here," Shiro gave her a sheepish shrug. He still hadn't mentioned Keith to her, nor was he going to mention that was his main motivation for coming.

"Well, when an hour passed without seeing anything of you, I jumped to conclusions." She shook her head and just smiled at him. "But you're here now and that's what matters!" She gave him a quick hug and when she stepped back Matt's father, Officer Holt, was there.

"Glad you could make it, lieutenant." He said, holding out his hand to shake.

"Sir," Shiro said with a firm grip and a nod. 

"How's the arm treating you?" Officer Holt asked, turning the prosthetic grasped in his hand over to examine. "Been to any upgrade appointments lately? Are the motors still functioning properly?"

"Uh," Shiro stumbled over his tongue. He should have known  _ someone _ was going to ask about it. And he knew Officer Holt was just checking up on him because they had both been involved in the op where he'd lost it. He'd learned to live with it as a part of him now, but direct attention, especially from other people, made his brain short circuit and his vision go out of focus. "Appointments? No, not in the last two months, sir." He said with a forced smile. Officer Holt was still examining the prosthetic closely. "They’re finally starting to slow down."

"Hmm," Holt hummed, almost looking like he wanted to open up one of the panels and check the wiring. "Did you get the software update for the companion app on your computer?"

"N-Not yet." Shiro admitted, his eyes glued to where their hands met, flesh and steel. He was shocked no one commented on how they could hear his heart beating out of his chest yet.

"Shiro!" A voice came from off to the side. "Hey, you made it!"

Shiro's head snapped to the left. Red hoodie, black hair. "Keith," He breathed, relief flooding his system. Officer Holt released his hand and turned to greet the younger man as well. The two spoke briefly while Allura eyed Shiro suspiciously. Shiro just stared at the plate that was still clutched in his hand, eating a few chips and pretending his cheeks hadn't gone pink.

"Shiro," Keith said his name again to get his attention. "Lance is gonna be here soon, I wanted you to meet him. Remember?" Keith's eyes went wide and his head twitched toward one of the picnic tables, signaling escape.

"Oh! Right!" Shiro said, cringing on the inside at how forced his voice sounded. "Yeah. Sorry Officer Holt, I promised Keith I'd meet his friend?"

"Don't worry about it, son." Officer Holt chuckled. He slapped Shiro's shoulder. "Send a text the next time you're at the lab. I'd love to help with any tests you're involved in."

"Will do, sir." Shiro smiled at him as he walked towards the table. Shiro glanced over at Allura.

"Meeting a friend?" Allura asked, a sly look on her face.

"Uh huh." Shiro nodded, cheeks burning.

Allura's smirk turned into a grin. "Good. I'm glad. Have fun." She stepped back towards her station at the table. "Let me know if you boys need anything." She called over her shoulder.

Shiro turned as well, following Keith to one of the farther picnic tables.

"You okay?" Keith asked him quietly, handing him one of the beers that was in his hands. "You looked like when Lance's cousin came back from a tour minus one leg and everyone was asking about it and he had a breakdown. I felt like I had to step in. Sorry if I interrupted something important."

Shiro clung to the can of beer, his hands shaking slightly. "That's not too far off." He said with a breathy laugh. "And no, nothing important." He grimaced at himself. "Officer Holt wasn't doing anything bad, just seeing how I was handling the prosthetic, I just…." He trailed off and sighed.

"Dude, I get it." Keith reassured him. "It's trauma. It doesn't have to make sense."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Shiro conceded, taking a long pull off the beer before focusing in on his food. "So, is this Lance person actually gonna be here or was that just an excuse?"

"Oh no, he'll be here." Keith said, popping a chip into his mouth. "He's my roommate. You don't actually have to meet him if you don't want, though. He's weird."

"Weirder than us?" Shiro teased, throwing a smirk at the younger man.

"Lance is his own special brand of weird." Keith told him, shaking his head. 

They ate in comfortable silence for a bit, Shiro's anxiety dropping by the minute. He was surprised at how relaxed he felt next to Keith, especially since he usually made such an idiot out of himself when they saw each other outside of deliveries. He decided it was nice and that he liked it, a quiet, easy companionship. He realized he wanted more of it.

"So your uncle? Is that who you said? Is he here?" Shiro asked as he scooped up the last of the dip with his chip.

"Captain Kogane? Oh yeah, he's here." Keith didn't sound overly enthusiastic about it. Shiro felt an awkwardness grow between them and Keith sighed. "And yeah, before you ask. No parents. Mom left and dad got blown away during a tour. So, uncle was stuck with me."

"I'm sorry." Shiro said, giving him a sympathetic look. Keith just shrugged and drank from his can of beer. "My F-22 got shot down providing air support on a supply run through hostile territory. Goodbye arm, goodbye career." He said in a moment of pure word vomit. If Keith was going to share with him, the least he could do was share back.

Keith gave a low whistle. "Fuck, dude, I’m sorry." It was Shiro's turn to shrug. "But being a fighter pilot? You were living my dream, man."

Shiro just chuckled. "At least someone's happy about my career choice. I was raised an Army brat.  _ Major _ Shirogane was not happy when his little Takashi decided to join the Chair Force. 'Fly a Blackhawk, you're still in the air that way!'" Shiro said, doing an exaggerated impression of his father. Keith just laughed at that. "He was a little more forgiving when I took the fighter pilot path and got to lieutenant. The skies just called to me."

"I know what you mean." Keith said, nodding. "That's what I was going to do, too. I even had my application to the Air Force Academy all ready. But one of my JROTC instructors hated me. One word from him and my career was over before I got out of high school. Even if I did enlist, I doubt I'd get past airman first class."

Shiro shook his head and swore. "You go to high school here?"

"Mhmm."

"Iverson?"

" _ Mhmm _ ."

Shiro shook his head again. "Fuck him. He hated me too. He doesn't like people who are better than him, so you must've been pretty good."

Keith smiled to himself and shrugged, looking bashful. "I had a few people tell me that, yeah." He fidgeted with the edge of his paper plate. "I still want to fly though. I'm thinking of going for a commercial pilot's license at the very least."

Shiro nodded. "That's decent money and a lot of fly time."

"Yeah. Expensive as hell to get into though." Keith frowned. "I'm trying to save up right now." He glanced over at Shiro and elbowed him gently. "Some of those tips you leave go directly to savings."

Shiro laughed lightly. "I'm glad I can help out."

They sat in companionable silence again, turning toward the rest of the picnic goers and watching them together, sipping their beers. It was nice just sitting together and watching kids fall all over the jungle gym and Allura racing around with her other USO helpers to keep everyone happy. 

Lance did eventually show up, two others around his age and several younger cousins in tow. Shiro was surprised to see Matt's younger sister with them, but if anything it made him more comfortable. The Holt siblings were good people. Lance, Katie (Pidge she corrected), and the third was Hunk. The five of them commandeered the picnic table while the cousins ran off to the jungle gym.

"Well, it's nice to  _ finally _ meet you, Shiro." Lance said, clearly offended that Pidge knew who he was before he did. The glare he sent to Keith made it obvious. "Keith talks about you all the time."

"Don't." Keith threatened.

"He'll come home from a delivery shift all smiley and I know he's seen you." Lance continued, completely ignoring the red face of death being thrown at him.

"Stop."

"'Oh Lance, he has so many muscles I just want him to punch me in the face.'" Lance crooned in falsetto, fluttering his eyelashes.

Shiro couldn't help but blush as well. If Keith really said stuff like that….

But the other man wasn't allowed to continue. Keith launched himself over the table at a screeching Lance. Pidge and Hunk just started laughing but Shiro stood, suddenly worried.

"Shiro, don't even worry about it," Pidge insisted. And then Shiro could see Keith was just giving Lance an intense noogie in the grass while whispering that he was going to kill him over and over. "This happens daily. Lance usually deserves it."

"I do not!" Lance yelled as he pushed himself out of Keith's grasp.

"You definitely did today, though." Hunk told him, glancing between Keith and Shiro. "You don't just do that."

Shiro could feel his face turning redder. He leaned down and offered his hands to both Keith and Lance, helping them up.

"What's this racket?" Came a voice from behind Shiro. Both Keith and Lance snapped to attention and Shiro about faced to do the same, a product of the drill that had become instinct. Now in front of him was a man who looked to be in his 50s, grey peppered throughout his black hair. His eyes were hard, but they reminded Shiro of Keith. "At ease you three, it's a goddamn picnic."

"Yes, sir." They chorused, immediately relaxing. 

"Keith? An explanation?" Asked, who Shiro assumed, was Captain Kogane.

"Just roughhousing, sir." Keith told him. "McClain was embarrassing himself in front of Shirogane, sir."

"Was not!" Lance protested, but a sharp glare from both Kogane men cowed him quickly.

The captain turned to Shiro and held out his hand. "Lieutenant, right?"

"Yes, sir." Shiro confirmed, taking his hand and shaking firmly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine, lieutenant." Captain Kogane said. "Thank you for your service. I've heard a lot."

"Thank you, sir."

"I see you're hanging around with my nephew." Kogane continued, eyeing Keith. "Maybe you can help teach him some discipline."

Shiro heard the sharp release of breath from Keith, though the younger man's expression didn't change. His lack of enthusiasm earlier suddenly made sense. "With all due respect, I think he’s doing just fine on his own, sir." Shiro told him, keeping his voice even.

Captain Kogane narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything more. "All right, back to your food. See you boys later."

There was a collective sigh of relief when the older man left their vicinity. Keith and Lance almost immediately started elbowing each other in the ribs, trading hissed 'idiot's and 'fucker's. Shiro sat back down and the other two followed suit.

The five of them spent the rest of the time chatting and joking around. They went to play some of the lawn games that had been set out as well, Keith and Shiro decimating the other three at some heated rounds of cornhole. 

Surprising even himself, Shiro ended up staying until 6. He and the others helped Allura and her merry band of USO spouses clean up the mess once most everyone else had left the park. Dusk fell upon them and still none of them felt pressured to leave, lying down on a blanket from Lance's trunk as they watched the stars appear one by one in the sky. Keith took a spot next to Shiro as they looked up at the sky. Their fingers brushed innocently a few times, Shiro's cheeks burning deeper each time. He had to admit he didn't mind this; hanging out with people who didn't give a shit about his rank, his prosthetic, his past. They were just enjoying him for who he was and laughing at his stupid jokes.

Maybe getting out of the house really was worth it from time to time.

* * *

It's a Friday when Shiro's phone goes off at three in the afternoon. His eyebrows knit together. He didn't have any plans, no one from his old flight team was coming into town. He opened his messaging app.

> **Keith :)** : You've received a delivery request from Keith Kogane for Panera. Mileage 3.2. Do you accept? y/n

Shiro smiled down at his phone and he felt a warm feeling settle in his chest before he typed out a response.

> **Shiro** : Yes
> 
> **Keith :)** : Order Summary: Bowl of wild rice and chicken soup, baguette, hot black tea.
> 
> **Shiro** : got it :) what's your address?
> 
> **Keith :)** : 280 7th St. Apt 26. Be careful. I'm sick. 
> 
> **Shiro** : Oh no, whatever will the old ladies at Safeway do if I get sick :(

Keith only sent him back 3 laughing emojis.

Shiro didn't waste any time. He threw on one of his lighter black sweatshirts and shoved his feet into his running shoes before swiping his keys from the kitchen counter and heading to his car. His radio was turned to a pop station and he found himself turning up the bubbly songs about love as he sped towards the restaurant. 

There was a line when he got there, which he texted pictures of to Keith, but he ordered for the both of them and finally headed to Keith's apartment. It was in a complex that wasn't too far from the local community college in an older area of their town. Shiro parked in the visitor's section, took the bags and walked up to apartment number 26. Lance opened the door when he knocked.

"Aw, jeez, he's got you bringing him food now?" Lance griped with a roll of his eyes. 

"Uh," Shiro frowned uneasily at him. "Keith said he was sick?"

"Oh, that he definitely is." Lance stepped to the side and tilted his head to the left. "His room is over there, dude."

"Thanks," Shiro gave him a weak smile as he stepped inside.

"Keith! Your five course meal is here!" Lance shouted as he shut the door.

"Fuck you!" Keith's hoarse voice came. Shiro blushed, stepping up to the closed bedroom door and knocking gently. "It's open."

Shiro carefully turned the knob and stepped inside. "Do you want the door closed?"

"Yeah, please." Keith answered. He shifted in the nest of blankets he'd built around himself so he could sit up in his bed. "Thanks so much for bringing me food, man." He coughed.

"Don't worry about it," Shiro shrugged, handing him the bag with his order in it. "Do you mind if I eat here with you?"

Keith shook his head and scooted closer to the top of his bed, leaving room for Shiro to sit. "If you're cool with watching anime, then go for it."

They watched One Punch Man on Keith's PS4, sitting together and making comments about the show. Shiro stayed a bit longer even after they finished eating, making tea for Keith while ignoring Lance’s commentary. Eventually, Keith fell asleep, and Shiro gathered up the trash from their lunch and took the empty mug from Keith’s hands. He left as silently as he could, waving to Lance as he walked out of the apartment. 

When he got back home, he saw a text from Keith, thanking him again. And with another smiley face. 

* * *

On a Wednesday, Shiro woke up three hours earlier than he'd grown accustomed to in his return to civilian life. His body was tense. He knew it wasn't going to be a good day. After lying in bed until the normal wake up time, he somehow managed to drag himself out of bed to do the bare minimum Human Requirements and to the kitchen to make himself some tea in the hopes of calming down. 

It didn't work. The tension still sat in his muscles like a waiting bear trap. With an exhausted groan, born of too many days like this, Shiro dragged himself back to his bedroom. He flipped on his television for background noise and let his eyes glaze over as he scrolled through his phone.

The day passed in a haze of half dissociation. It wasn't until his body was screaming for food that he finally fought past the too-tight strings in his chest and left the bedroom again. He oozed through the kitchen only to find every single thing in the house sounded like it would taste like sawdust. He looked dejectedly at his phone and opened up the OrderUp app. For once he hoped Keith wasn't his driver. Keith didn't need to see him like this. Truth be told, he thought no one did, but he also knew he wouldn't eat if food wasn't shoved into his hands. He picked one of his favorited restaurants and one of the first meal options. It didn't really matter what it was as long as he got something in his system. 

Shiro set his phone on the counter as the app went to the tracking screen. At almost the exact same moment, a low flying jet from the base passed above his house. It happened often enough living back here. It had been torture his first few months back home but he'd mostly grown used to it. 

Today, however, it snapped those strings in his chest and with them his grip on reality.

In half a second he was in the air again just before he lost control. Just before he started falling. He could still feel as his stomach slammed into his throat. The heat of the fire. The pain as metal shot through his arm.

He couldn't register the dings on his phone to let him know the driver was on the way. Or, fifteen minutes later, the knocks and the bell at the door. 

As Shiro fought the crushing weight on his chest,  _ breathe he needed to breathe he couldn't  _ **_breathe_ ** , he finally felt something that wasn't from his memory. A pressure on his shoulder.

"Shiro? Shiro, can you hear me?"

That wasn't usually a part of his episodes. He tried to focus on it.

"Shiro, come back. Focus on my voice. We're going to try and breathe together, okay?"

Shiro tried to agree but nothing could get around his hyperventilating. He tried to focus on the weight on his shoulder.

"In."

He sucked desperately at the air.

"Out."

A rush of shuddering breath.

He continued to follow the instruction until his vision finally came back. He glanced around and saw he'd managed to end up on the floor in the kitchen. His cheeks were wet. His entire body was shaking. And Keith was knelt in front of him, hand on his shoulder, worried look on his face. Shame and humiliation crashed over his head like a pound of bricks and his eyes went out of focus again.

"Shiro," Keith's voice was firm. "I need you to stay with me." His thumb began rubbing little circles into Shiro's shoulder, keeping him grounded. "You have to keep breathing."

He somehow managed to nod weakly and continued to breathe, following Keith's lead. After a few minutes, Shiro managed to speak. "Medicine cabinet." He gasped. "Lorazepam."

Keith nodded and stood, quickly disappearing deeper into the house. Shiro brought his quaking hands up to scrub at his face. Another wave of hot tears spilled onto his cheeks, a sob forcing its way out of him. Keith was back in only a few moments, a little prescription bottle in his hand. Shiro took it and Keith stood again.

"Where are your cups?" Keith asked him.

Shiro pointed weakly at the cabinet above his coffee maker and opened the bottle to shake out one of the pills. Keith lowered himself onto the floor to sit next to him and handed him a glass full of water. Shiro took the pill.

"Hey, keep breathing." Keith reminded him gently, putting his hand back on Shiro's shoulder. They kept their breathing steady together until the chemicals kicked in and Shiro stopped shaking. 

"I'm sorry." He whispered, letting his head fall back against the wall, fighting against the waves of shame.

"Don't be." Keith said immediately. "This isn't my first time helping a friend with a panic attack." Shiro turned his head and looked down at Keith, brows knitting.  _ Friend _ . Keith just smiled at him. "Besides, I should be apologizing. I just fucking broke into your house. Nothing's actually broken. I just popped out a screen from your window."

Shiro let out a breathy laugh and nodded. "Thanks for fucking breaking into my house, then." He let his eyes fall closed and shook his head. "I don't know if I could have pulled myself out. I haven't had a flashback that bad in months."

Keith's hand tightened on his shoulder. "I'm glad I was here, then." He took a deep breath. "Can you stand? We should get you to the couch or something."

Shiro blinked a few times. "I think so." Keith stood first, offering his hand and helping Shiro up. He didn't let go until Shiro was comfortable on the couch and then went to fetch the forgotten food that he'd brought. He shoved it into Shiro's hands and then plopped down on the couch next to him.

"What are you doing?" Shiro asked him, hands tightening on the plastic bag.

"Staying." Keith said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"But…?"

"Don't worry, I've turned off my delivery availability. And Lance will still be there tomorrow. I need to make sure you are, too." Keith glanced at him from over the top of his phone.

Shiro bit his lip and blinked away some moisture in his eyes. "Thank you."

A few hours later, after a drug induced nap, Shiro found his head resting comfortably in Keith's lap. The younger man had his fingers absently weaved into the longer hair at the top of his head. Shiro couldn't help his weak smile at the unfamiliar contentedness that filled his chest.

* * *

Shiro didn't order after that Wednesday. He didn’t do much of anything other than work because of the lingering embarrassment from being caught in an episode, but Saturday arrived and his phone dinged with a text message.

> **Keith :)** : Hey are you free tonight?

Shiro stared at his phone, almost unbelieving. Some dark part of his brain had convinced him Keith would never speak to him again after witnessing him at his weakest, but here he was.

> **Shiro:** I'm free. What's up?
> 
> **Keith :)** : I'm finishing up deliveries and was thinking of heading to that bar on 8th street and wanted to see if you were down to go as well?

Shiro felt his eyes widen.

> **Keith :)** : this feels like I'm asking you out.
> 
> **Keith :)** : I just thought it'd be good for you to blow off some steam after. You know.
> 
> **Keith :)** : this is a Not Date. So like. No pressure.

Shiro bit his lips into a thin line. He wanted to hang out with Keith and he also wanted to go on a date with Keith. This was probably his chance to at the very least get his foot in the door for hanging out outside of deliveries and the odd times Keith made it to the Safeway. Even if he was still mortified at what had happened, he knew he wanted to do this.

> **Shiro:** Yeah sure! Should I meet you there?
> 
> **Keith :)** : no worries I can pick you up I do know where you live ;)

Shiro laughed and sent him back an affirmation before he went to shower for their Not Date.

Keith arrived two hours later and Shiro met him out on the porch.

"So this is where my food sits all the time," Shiro commented as he climbed into the front seat. Keith's car was a small red two door, but it was clean and well taken care of. 

"The recipient of the delivery now becomes the delivered." Keith teased him as he put his car into gear.

The drive was companionable, Keith's radio tuned to the rock station that was put out by the community college. Shiro couldn't help but steal glances at his Not Date. Keith was dressed similarly to how he usually did, red nebula hoodie and his Vans. His hair was down and free flowing, no snapback. Shiro loved every look of his. Sure Keith was the prettiest boy he'd ever seen, but there was a masculinity to the younger man that hit Shiro just right. He'd seen him in t-shirts and the muscles in his arms. Shiro was pretty sure Keith could throw him over his shoulder without even trying and that thought always left him shivering.

"How are you holding up?" Keith asked him, glancing over. "There was another jet launch today."

Shiro shook his head and looked out the window. "It was fine. It was a lot worse when I first moved back after the accident, but I'm used to it now. Wednesday was just a bad day all over."

Keith nodded slowly. "I feel you." He looked over as he stopped at a red light. "Any bad days since then?"

"No, not like that." He assured him. "Just been recovering. Episodes like that usually take a few days."

"I'm glad." Keith smiled at him before pressing on the acceleration to speed up again. "But hey, if you ever need me to come over for that again, you have my number. You don't have to go through this alone."

Shiro fidgeted in his seat, not entirely happy with where the conversation had immediately gone, but still reassured by the words. "Thanks, Keith. I'll try and remember."

With that they shifted towards safer topics until they reached the bar. It was a family-run local hole in the wall with only three TVs, exposed brick on the inside, and the stereo turned up just a bit too loud. Shiro had only heard of the place when he lived here before college so he'd never had a chance to visit. Keith led him to the well-worn oak bar itself and Shiro saw the bartender taking shots with two older men who looked like regulars. But he smiled and waved to Keith when he saw them sit. 

The bartender brought them both a beer. "Didn't know you knew lieutenant Shirogane, Keith." He smiled at them both. "These are on the house. Good to have you back and in mostly one piece, lieutenant."

Shiro thanked him and glanced at Keith, a questioning look in his eye.

"Everyone knows you here." Keith told him after he took a sip. "Ever since the news of your op made it stateside and some article came out in the paper, the whole town's been claiming you as a hometown hero."

Shiro couldn't help but laugh incredulously. "I lived here for six years." He couldn't imagine what the other towns his father's deployments had brought him to were saying about him after the op. Or the Air Force Academy. Or Sheppard Air Force Base. Fuck. All those phone calls he’d ignored over the past year suddenly weighed on him.

"Yeah, but you were on the high school football team so that means you're ours." Keith told him with a smirk. "But hey, if it gets me free drinks at my favorite place, then here's to you, Mr. Hero." He lifted his beer bottle and Shiro relented and hit their bottles together with a sharp  _ clink _ . 

Shiro drove the conversation in another direction, giving his heart a chance to slow down a bit. Keith seemed to understand his deflections and even when the bartender came over to refresh them, he kept the topics neutral or sports related. Shiro couldn't help but notice every time their legs touched under the bar, nor could he help his lingering gaze as the night went on. Keith caught him staring a few times and just threw him a toothy smile when he did. After a few drinks, Shiro found himself laughing along with Keith and a few others that were closer to their age who had rolled in. Everyone seemed to know each other here and they welcomed Shiro readily enough. Despite their questions about his time overseas, he still felt like he fit in here. He'd been terrified of returning back to civilian life, but this almost felt easy.

He wished he could kiss Keith for giving him this feeling back.

Keith stood around midnight, thanking the bartender and saying goodnight to the people they'd been talking to. Shiro followed him, happily buzzed and mood up for the first time in days.

"Are you good to drive?" Shiro asked him as they made their way back to the car.

"I only had two beers, Shiro." Keith pat him on the stomach. "Over 4 hours. I'm definitely better than you are at this point."

Shiro just laughed and opened Keith's door for him before wobbling over to his own, ignoring Keith's accusations of being a sap. The drive home was lighter than the drive out, Keith switching the radio to a station that played pop hits from when they were younger, both of them singing loudly into the night.

When Keith pulled up to his house, Shiro felt his heart sink just a bit. But Keith opened up his door when Shiro unbuckled and the two of them walked back up to Shiro's front door. 

"Thanks for tonight, Keith." Shiro said, voice soft as he pulled his keys out from his pocket. "Really, it's been a while since I've had a chance to just hang out like that."

"Any time, man. Just let me know and we can head out." Keith told him with a smile. "Lance usually tags along with the others, though. Since his uncle owns the place, he lets them sit in"

"That's fine." Shiro assured him. "They were fun to be with, too."

Keith's smile widened and they just looked at each other, holding each other's gazes until Shiro swallowed hard and spoke again.

"Do you…do you wanna come in for a drink?"

Keith huffed out a laugh. "Shiro, we just had drinks."

Shiro brought his prosthetic up to rub at the back of his head. "I know…."

"Maybe another time, okay?" Keith said, looking at the ground, blushing lightly in the porch light.

"I just thought…you know what," He shook his head and fumbled with his keys. "It was a Not Date so, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

With a small roll of his eyes, Keith leaned forward and kissed Shiro's cheek. Shiro froze in place. "There. A Not Kiss for our Not Date." Keith reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'll see you later, Shiro."

It wasn't until Keith was walking back down the path to his car that Shiro was able to start moving again. "Goodnight, Keith!" He called, a little louder than he should have. He heard Keith laugh and the younger man waved from over the top of his car. "I'll see you!"

With the sound of Keith's car starting up, Shiro managed to find the key to his front door and let himself into his house. He touched his fingers to his cheek and let a giddy smile fill his entire face before he headed to bed.

* * *

On a Friday night, Shiro ordered late. He hadn't meant to, being in the habit of ordering around 6. But tonight it was 8 and Shiro doubted he would even get Keith as a driver. But he was pleasantly surprised when the app alerted him to his driver and saw the little red V bubble on the map.

Shiro opened the door before Keith had the chance to knock. The smile on his lips quickly changed into a surprised frown. Keith stood in front of him, Shiro's order and a second bag in one hand and a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon in the other. Keith looked at him a little sheepishly.

"Do you mind if I eat with you?" He asked, head tilted down.

Shiro felt his heart stutter and he wiped his suddenly damp palm on his sweatpants. He took a step to the side, leaving room for Keith to come in through the door. "PBR? Really? Are we high schoolers?"

"Shut up," Keith grumped as he stepped inside. "I just turned 21 like six months ago."

"Oof," Shiro rolled his eyes as he closed the door behind them. "Don't remind me how old I am."

Keith just laughed and put the delivery on the table before he ventured farther in to put the beer in Shiro's fridge. He grabbed two cans and let the fridge door swing closed as he walked back to the pseudo-dining room between the kitchen and the living room. Shiro took the can Keith offered him with a smile and sat down at the table while Keith sat down on the other side. He opened the beer and took a drink.

"Gross," He breathed as he set it down.

"If you don't like it, you provide the booze next time." Keith glared at him, chopsticks already out of their paper.

Shiro chuckled as he opened up his bag. "Tell me you're planning to stay next time and I will. We won't have to drink 8 cans of shit beer a piece to get anywhere."

Keith just smiled, looking like he was fighting off a laugh. "That's fair." He turned his attention to the TV as Ghost Adventures came back from commercial. Keith's head whipped back to look at Shiro. "Fuck. Yes." he said, eyes excited.

Shiro laughed again, a lightness in his chest as he felt himself fall even deeper into this Keith shaped hole he'd found himself in. He nodded towards the living room. "Let's go sit on the couch if you're so excited then."

Keith bit down on his chopsticks and grabbed his box of orange chicken and his unopened beer and hurried over to Shiro's blue couch. Shiro just shook his head fondly and followed him over.

Three episodes later, their take-out boxes sat next to a small pile of empty beer cans. Keith had shifted closer to Shiro's left side each time he stood to get them fresh drinks. Now they sat with their thighs touching and Shiro's non-prosthetic arm thrown over the back of the couch as they watched the newest episode of The Dead Files. Keith was rapt, eyes wide as he leaned into Shiro's side while the hosts talked about demons. Shiro couldn't pay attention to the show, not with his crush in his home and on his couch. He felt happier than he had in years and his alcohol muddled mind just lifted that happiness even higher.

Keith looked up at him as the show went to commercial and when he caught the look on Shiro's face a blush crawled up his cheeks. They both looked away and Shiro could feel his heart start to race. God, he had it bad. Keith stood suddenly mumbling about getting another beer and Shiro shifted in his seat, hoping he hadn't made the other man too uncomfortable. He closed his eyes hard and sighed, but when he opened them again, Keith was standing in front of him, looking down at him with a solemn look in his eyes. 

Shiro frowned, brows knitting, and opened his mouth to speak, but Keith moved forward and slid onto Shiro's lap. Shiro's spine straightened, surprised at the forwardness. "Keith?"

Keith just looked at the space between them, one hand messing with the tab of the cans he'd brought.

Shiro sighed softly and put his hands on Keith's shoulders. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

Keith closed his eyes and bit his lip. "I like you." He said quietly after a few silent moments.

Shiro had to fight the urge to scream in triumph and instead just nodded calmly. "Well, I think that's pretty cool because I like you, too."

"I know you do." He opened his eyes slightly. "You're obvious, remember?"

"Thanks for that." Shiro said, rolling his eyes a bit. "So what's wrong with us liking each other?"

Keith sighed and he rolled his head to the side, not making eye contact with Shiro. "You remember I said I wanted to be a pilot?" Shiro hummed ascent. "The schools I'm thinking of applying to are in Florida." His thighs tightened around Shiro's nervously and Shiro had to take in a breath in an effort to control his dick. "And I want to kiss you, but if I kiss you and it's good then it'll hurt when I go to Florida." Keith licked his lips thoughtfully. "I don't want to get hurt and I don't want to hurt you, because you've been through enough, Shiro."

"Why would Florida hurt, Keith?" Shiro asked softly, rubbing small circles into the younger man's shoulders.

"Because I'll leave and I'll miss you." He told him then sighed sadly. "I think I'll miss you anyway, but it'll hurt more if we kiss."

"You know that long distance relationships exist, right?" Shiro asked with a smile. "It happens all the time in military relationships."

"Yeah, but you're not going to be deployed again so it's not like it  _ has _ to be a thing." Keith frowned at him. "If we can prevent the hurt, why wouldn't we?"

Shiro sighed softly. He took his hands off of Keith's shoulders and let them fall onto the couch cushions. "Can I give you my opinion since this involves me?" Keith nodded. "If there's anything getting shot out of the sky has taught me, it's not to take anything for granted. We don't know how much time we get on Earth so if you want something you have to take it." He tilted his head so that he could meet Keith's eyes. "I spent a year inside this house doing the exact opposite and then I met you and I wanted something again." Carefully, as if trying not to scare him off, Shiro placed his hands on Keith's knees. "I  _ really _ like you, Keith. And maybe it's selfish but I would like to try. If it doesn't work out then it doesn't, that's fine. But if there's a chance it could, then I would like to take it." He smiled softly. "Besides, if it does work out, I've heard good things about Florida."

Keith's eyes snapped open wide and he sat up straighter. "You would…Shiro you? You've known me for three months? I- you don't have to."

"You're right," He conceded. "I don't  _ have  _ to do anything. But you're not going to Florida tomorrow are you?" Keith shook his head. "So we've got time. Time to see if Florida works and time to see if  _ we _ work. But I would like to take a chance on you. I can’t really explain it, but you just feel right. And I mean, what else do I have left to lose?" Shiro teased, waving his prosthetic. "You want to be a pilot and I want you to be a pilot. My dreams are shot, Keith, but I want to support yours. I want to see you fly."

Keith stared down at him, expression confused. "Why?" He asked after a few heartbeats, perplexed.

Shiro shrugged, ignoring the pang in his heart at the thought that Keith couldn't comprehend someone supporting him without question. "Isn't that how mutually beneficial relationships usually go?"

Keith stared at him a bit longer. "I guess." He bit his lip again. "Shiro, can I kiss you? I've wanted to kiss you for three weeks now."

"God, please." Shiro breathed. 

And just like that there were lips on his, breathless and desperate and oh god, nothing else in the world existed other than the two of them in this moment. Keith's fingers, chilled from the beer he'd been holding, shoved their way into Shiro's hair and Shiro's hands traveled up, grasping at Keith's hips. They kissed until they were both breathless and absolutely needed to stop. Keith pressed their foreheads together as they panted and Shiro couldn't help but nuzzle into him, brushing the tips of their noses together. 

"You know what?" Keith asked.

"Hmm?" Shiro hummed, letting his eyes fall closed.

"We missed the end of Dead Files."

Shiro shoulders slumped and Keith giggled. Actually giggled. And Shiro couldn't help but grin, giddy from kisses. "Well, lucky for you, I have a rewind button."

Keith slid to his right, off of Shiro's lap though he still had his long legs thrown over Shiro's thighs. Keith sighed happily as he pressed himself into the crook of Shiro's neck and wrapped his arms around his waist. Shiro just pressed a kiss to his soft hair as he put the show back to where they'd left off.

* * *

Weeks passed. Shiro slowly started ordering less and less from the app, but that was mainly because Keith ended up at his house after his shifts more and more. Eventually, Keith started spending the night, and then he spent the night most days of the week. Keith had tried not to balk the first time he spent the night and Shiro had taken off his prosthetic, but Shiro had still caught him staring at its absence. They sat on the bed together, Shiro finally taking the time to explain the cap that was on the end of his appendage that clicked into the experimental hand and how he was helping them test bionic technology. Keith was a lot less awkward about it after that and Shiro felt a bit more at ease about the whole thing, too.

Six months after they first met, and three months after they started officially unofficially dating, Shiro gave Keith the spare key to his house. He sheepishly explained that his nightmares had dropped significantly since Keith had started regularly spending the night and also that now he wouldn't ever have to break into the house again if Shiro had an episode. But when Keith threw his arms around Shiro's neck, Shiro whispered to him that mostly, he just wanted Keith to know he was always welcome and that it felt more like home with him there.

A few more weeks passed and the two of them grew more used to just existing in each other's spaces. Keith came and went freely and Shiro started going out with him and his friends more, much to Allura's joy. Shiro had even started buying some of Keith's favorite foods when he brought groceries home from work. 

It was a Tuesday when Shiro stepped out of his post workout shower to hear the TV on in his living room. He couldn't help the small smile that played his lips the entire time he finished his shower routine. He saw Keith eating a bowl of cereal on the couch when he walked out into the living room. Shiro stepped up behind it and draped himself over Keith's shoulders.

"Takashi!" The younger man grumbled, though there was no real fight in him. "Fuck you and your wet hair."

"Missed you, too." Shiro laughed as he kissed Keith's cheek. "How was your day?"

"Fine." Keith said, taking another bite of his cereal. "Landlord's still not budging on raising my rent if I want to renew my lease in two months, asshole."

"Keith…."

"I know."

"You're just using that place as a closet at this point anyway."

"I  _ know _ ." Keith sighed, his shoulders drooping. "But officially moving in together is…weird to think about."

"You say as if you didn't just let yourself into my house and eat my food while I was in the shower." Shiro teased. Keith just pouted at him and grumbled about having a key. He stood back up and walked around to sit next to Keith on the couch. "I mean, I have an extra bedroom. If you need your own space, it's yours." He told him seriously. "At the very least think of it this way; you won't have to pay rent if you live here and that four hundred a month could be going towards saving up for moving to Florida."

Keith tensed around his last bite of cereal.

"What?" Shiro asked him, unable to keep the concern out of his voice. "Did something happen?"

Keith drained his cereal bowl of milk and set it on the coffee table before he looked directly at Shiro. "I sent in my applications to PEA and Embry today."

Shiro's eyes widened. "You did?"

Keith nodded, almost like he was convincing himself that it had happened. "I did."

Shiro let out a happy shout and pulled Keith into his arms for a suffocating hug. "Keith! I'm so proud of you!"

Keith groaned at the praise and Shiro took the opportunity to rub his cheek on the top of Keith's head, too excited for his own good. And maybe it was a little over the top, but Shiro couldn't help not being the loudest cheerleader in Keith's life.

Keith finally pushed him away and folded his arms over his chest. With a sigh he started chewing on his bottom lip; one of his nervous habits. Shiro just put on a soft smile and waited for the words to come on their own. "I’m going to get in, right?"

"With your JROTC record? Absolutely." Shiro told him.

Keith threw him a suspicious look. "What about Iverson?"

"Iverson doesn't have any pull over civilian schools." Shiro reminded him gently, though Keith didn’t look entirely convinced. With a small sigh, Shiro pulled him into his lap. Touch had become an anchor between them in the past months; a powerful tool when they were both battling their anxieties. "If you don't, then we'll try some others." Shiro promised him, petting his soft black hair. "But I know you will. You're talented and you're dedicated. They'll want you." He felt Keith take a deep breath. "We'll figure it out no matter what happens, hmm?"

Keith nodded into his shoulder. "Thank you, Shiro." He said, looking up with the soft smile only Shiro got to see. 

He tilted his head up and Shiro leaned down to meet him, kissing his lips softly. "Of course, baby." Shiro felt Keith shudder in his arms. He pulled back, unsure if he'd done something wrong. He'd never called Keith baby before. Maybe he didn't like it. He was about to ask when Keith spoke first.

"Call me that again," He breathed, his arms moving up to snake around Shiro's neck.

A fire ignited itself behind Shiro's navel and he surged forward, lips hungry for every inch of Keith's skin. "Baby. Baby." He whispered between kisses. "My baby."

Keith swore as a breathy moan left his lips. "Shiro…."

"Yeah, baby?" He asked, leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses up the side of Keith's neck.

"Take me to bed?"

For a good two seconds, Shiro thought he meant actually going to sleep, which was weird because it was 4 in the afternoon. But then the real meaning hit him and he felt himself blush as he pulled back.

_ Oh. _

"Are you sure?" Shiro asked him. They hadn't done anything yet, other than some drunk grinding while they were both clothed. They had talked about it, at least. Besides the drastic physical changes caused by being shot out of the sky, Shiro was nervous because he hadn't been with anyone since before his last deployment, Keith was nervous because he'd only ever messed around when he was drunk at parties that Lance dragged him to. Even though they'd been sharing a bed for a month and a half, they had agreed to wait on the sex for a while. 

But here was Keith in his arms, eyes wide and cheeks flushed from nothing but the heat between them. Shiro had never felt so in love in his life.

"I'm sure," Keith told him with his usual quiet confidence. "But only if you're ready, too, Shiro."

Shiro's expression softened and he pressed their foreheads together. "Yeah, baby. I'm ready."

Keith kissed him with hungry lips. Shiro stood from the couch, lifting Keith as if he weighed nothing, and carried him to the bedroom. It was clumsy and awkward and they had to stop a few times to laugh, but when they finally tumbled over the edge, their fingers weaved tightly together.

* * *

It was a Thursday. Shiro sat at the table in an actual dining room, scrolling through the news on his tablet as he sipped at a mug of coffee. The early morning sun glinted off the silver ring on his left hand. The “Save the Date!” postcards sat on the table with one of the pictures from their engagement photoshoot Allura had insisted on paying for, ready to be mailed. Keith hurried down the stairs from their bedroom, a small overnight bag in his hand, tightening his tie. Shiro turned in his seat and picked up a travel mug of coffee that he'd prepared as Keith had showered. "Morning."

"Hey," Keith breathed as he hustled into the kitchen. He grabbed the toast that Shiro had made as well, shoving it into his mouth. "Thanks for the food, babe." He said, crumbs spilling from his mouth.

Shiro laughed at him and shook his head, waiting for him to finish chewing before standing and handing him the travel mug. "Here's your coffee." Shiro said, kissing Keith on the lips.

"Thank you."

"Ready for your first day?" A kiss.

"Yes."

"Important pilot internship." Another kiss.

"Yup."

"Don't wanna be late." Yet another kiss.

"Nope."

"I love you." Shiro said, kissing him again and finally pulling him into a tight hug.

"I love you, too, Shiro." Keith told him, wrapping his arms around Shiro's waist, a smile plain in his voice. "You'll be good while I'm gone?"

Shiro pulled back and gave him a soft smile, still blown away at how deeply Keith cared for him four years later. "Yeah, babe. I've got Oreo here to keep me company, Ellen and Beckie have the barbeque tomorrow, and Matt and Pidge are going to be here for their visit on Sunday when you come back."

"Good," Keith smiled back before leaning up to kiss him again. "You can call me if you need to. Remember, Michael next door is free this weekend, too. He’s helped with panic attacks before."

"I'll remember." Shiro promised and released him with one final kiss. "See you, baby." He walked him over to the front door and opened it for him, the humid Florida air already unbearable this early in the day. "Relax. You're going to do great."

Keith paused at the end of the porch to turn and throw Shiro a grateful smile. "Thank you. Have a good day with Oreo!" He waved over his shoulder one last time and Shiro couldn't help but remember the first time they'd met; Keith walking away from him, waving over his shoulder just like that, though now the red Vans and snapback were replaced by a pilot's uniform. As Keith climbed into his car, a little black and white fluff padded up next to Shiro, looking excitedly out the screen door, red collar jingling. Shiro picked up the young cat, holding her in his arms so that they could both wave to Keith as he drove off.

Shiro pursed his lips at Oreo as she sniffed at him, giving her a peck on the nose. "Hey my Oreo girl, it's your breakfast time, too!" Falling into the trap of baby talk while his cat looked up at him with wide green eyes. He shut the front door and retreated farther back into their house. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than that year spent alone in his house. He had found a place here with Keith, with the friends and the life they’d made. He was still working on it, and so were the others around him, but with the support they had gained, he knew they would all make it.

**Author's Note:**

> AND THERE YOU HAVE IT MY FRIENDS. Delivery Boy AU is my first posted writing in 2018 and I couldn't be happier. Thank you so so so much for reading this, I really hope you liked it!
> 
> I want to give shout outs to Katie and Andy and Myst for betaing and being my cheerleaders throughout the whole process. I love u and thank u for your hard work.
> 
> Please come talk to me about this fic or about these dumb boys in general on twitter @inatrice !! Thank you so much again.


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